During its CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas earlier this month, Sony Pictures confirmed that production has gotten under way on the long-awaited adaptation ofStephen King’sThe Dark Tower. While most of the main cast is already in place, it’s never too late to add even more cast members, with two new actors signing on today.VikingsstarKatheryn Winnickhas come aboard in an unspecified role, whileMichael Barbierihas also joined the cast as young Timmy. While we’ll have to wait and see whoKatheryn Winnickis playing, the casting of Timmy could signal that the adaptation will make some major changes from the novel series.
Varietyhas word ofKatheryn Winnick’s casting, while Deadline broke the news onMichael Barbieri. InStephen King’sThe Dark Towerbook series, Timmy is a good friend of Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), although he doesn’t show up until the third book,The Waste Lands. There have been rumors that this adaptation will combine elements of the first book,The Gunslinger, andThe Waste Lands, which would put some other recent casting moves into context.Abbey Lee,Jackie Earle HaleyandFran Kranzhave recently come aboard, who are all playing “low men,” who serve under the primary villain The Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey).
The Dark Toweradaptation will bringStephen King’s series ofseven novelsto life, which follows Roland Deschain, a.k.a. The Gunslinger, who sets off on a journey to findThe Dark Tower, rumored to be a portal to other worlds. Roland will be chased by the Man in Black, a.k.a. Walter Padick, described as an “ageless deceiver and sorcerer,” who is also trying to findThe Dark Towerto rule over all of its kingdoms. Along his journey, Roland will seek help from a junkie named Eddie, an amputee named Susannah and a young boy named Jake, to be part of his team known as a “ka-tet.”
Nikolaj Arcel(A Royal Affair) is directing from a script he is rewriting withAnders Thomas Jensen(Election Night).Akiva GoldsmanandJeff Pinknerworked on the initial draft.Ron Howard, who was initially set to direct when the project was set up at Universal, is producing alongside his Imagine Entertainment partnersBrian GrazerandErica Huggins. MRC is also developing a companion TV series, which will reportedly debut between the movies in this trilogy.
Katheryn Winnickis best known for her role as Lagertha in History Channel’s hit TV seriesVikings, which is currently in the midst of its fourth season. She will next be seen on the big screen inGeostorm, which hits theaters next January.Michael Barbierimade his feature film debut inLittle Men, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. We’ll keep you posted with more casting details onThe Dark Toweras production continues.
